25 Years Ago, AT&T Predicted the Future We’re Living Now

In 1993, AT&T shared its vision for how technology would radically alter the way people would live, work and interact. That vision—delivered as a series of short TV ads with “You Will” as the catchy tagline—captured people’s imaginations.

“You Will” envisioned a future that viewers would soon live. The ads asked people to imagine speaking with a loved one from a wristwatch, untethered from a phone. Or receiving driving directions from a computer in the car’s dashboard. Or taking a meeting from the beach with colleagues stuck in cubicles or conference rooms. The series struck a chord then, and it’s remembered today for the accuracy of its vision.

The 1993 campaign successfully foresaw the future because the predictions weren’t guesswork. They were rooted in the work of research scientists and engineers who were building the future at Bell Labs, AT&T’s ambitious R&D operation. Innovations of that era that sprang from within Bell Labs’ walls, including the transistor, made the digital era possible, while other innovations were cutting-edge prototypes for now commonplace technologies like the smartphone and video conferencing.

A spirit of innovation is ingrained in AT&T’s DNA, from the Bell Labs of yesterday to the researchers and engineers who are imagining the future today at AT&T Labs. To mark the 25th anniversary of “You Will,” AT&T brought its experts together with futurists and philosophers to share their visions of what the future will be 25 years from now. The panel included:

Andre Fuetsch, President of AT&T Labs and CTO at AT&T

Marachel Knight, SVP of Wireless and Access, Engineering Construction and Operations at AT&T

Rasesh Patel, SEVP of Digital, Retail and Care at AT&T

Wayne Purboo, VP of Product Management at AT&T Entertainment Group

Mazin Gilbert, VP of Advanced Technology and Systems at AT&T Labs

Alicia Abella, VP of Operational Automation and Program Management at AT&T

Andrew McAfee, MIT Research Scientist

Michaela Rose, Strategist and Technology Expert

Gray Scott, Futurist and Technology Philosopher

Hannah Beachler, Award-winning Film Production Designer

Their task might be an even bigger challenge today given the exponential pace of technological change. We are immersed in technology in ways inconceivable a quarter-century ago. But one thing hasn’t changed: Technology exists to serve us—to make our lives easier and more fulfilling. “I still believe technology is intended to connect us, not separate us,” says AT&T’s Marachel Knight.

The future that they predict—zero-waste cities powered by AI; mixed-reality educational experiences that allow children to transcend classroom walls; self-driving car networks that prevent urban traffic congestion; and empathetic digital caretakers that comfort the sick and elderly—shows technology’s power to connect us.